Media & Communications Law

Classmates’ comments should be confidential, Harvard Law says in new social media policy

If you are a Harvard Law School student making a social media post about something said in class, you should not write it in a way that identifies the speaker to those who were not there, according to a new policy at the school.

Sep 8, 2020 1:29 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: State files 100th lawsuit challenging Trump policies; 2 more firms reverse pay cuts

California files 100th suit against Trump administration California and 21 other states have filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration rule that curtails the scope of environmental reviews conducted to assess the impact of actions by federal agencies. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said it is the 100th suit filed…

Aug 31, 2020 4:45 PM CDT

This law prof has been fighting off Twitter trolls during the coronavirus crisis

While Veena Dubal was adapting to working at home with three young children during the COVID-19 pandemic, the “reply guys” came after the California law professor on Twitter for her support of a 2020 state law that extends employee classification status to gig workers.

Aug 31, 2020 8:00 AM CDT

Book publisher paraphrases Bullwinkle in response to Michael Avenatti’s defamation assertion

A lawyer for a book publisher is paraphrasing the cartoon character Bullwinkle J. Moose in response to a defamation allegation by convicted lawyer Michael Avenatti.

Aug 27, 2020 11:47 AM CDT

Netflix’s ‘Trial by Media’ could help expose problems inherent in pretrial publicity

I went to law school to become a criminal defense attorney. I wasn’t a punk kid, but I had more than my fair share of run-ins with the law growing up in western Oklahoma and into college. I don’t think anyone from my past would say I was “bad” ……

Aug 4, 2020 8:47 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Boston Marathon bomber wins death penalty appeal; what’s in the GOP coronavirus bill?

Appeals court overturns Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence A federal appeals court has overturned the death sentence for convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Boston ruled Friday that the trial judge did not adequately screen jurors for potential bias. The judge “fell…

Jul 31, 2020 4:40 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: 2 BigLaw firms have no Black partners; judge finishes backlog of civil case motions

These BigLaw firms have no Black partners Two of the country’s top law firms stand out for the wrong reason—they have no Black partners. The firms are Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Haynes and Boone. Cravath’s only Black partner left in 2017 to become a judge on New York’s top…

Jul 8, 2020 4:49 PM CDT

Afternoon briefs: TRO lifted against Mary Trump publisher; Jeffrey Epstein associate arrested

Appeals court lifts TRO against Mary Trump publisher A New York appeals court on Wednesday lifted a temporary restraining order that blocked Simon & Schuster from publishing a tell-all book by Mary Trump, President Donald Trump’s niece. The Appellate Division’s Second Judicial Department of the New York State Supreme Court…

Jul 2, 2020 4:51 PM CDT

Twitter dismissed from Rep. Devin Nunes’ defamation suit over parody accounts

A Virginia judge has dismissed Twitter from a $250 million defamation suit filed by Republican California congressman Devin Nunes that targeted parody accounts claiming to be written by Nunes’ mother and a cow.

Jun 25, 2020 12:43 PM CDT

The new world of litigating workplace disputes with social media

Social media has undoubtedly changed the way we communicate, receive news and stay connected in our personal lives. But social media is a headache, once we consider legal and compliance best practices when such interactions in the workplace go awry.

Jun 17, 2020 8:30 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Trump signs policing order; rogue worker tweets from court’s Twitter account

Trump signs executive order encouraging chokehold limits President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that encourages better policing practices. The order allocates discretionary grants to police departments that seek credentials from organizations certified by the U.S. attorney general. The organizations would review police department practices, confirm that the departments…

Jun 16, 2020 3:33 PM CDT

Legal experts question legitimacy of Trump’s order limiting social media platforms

Legal experts are weighing in on President Donald Trump’s move to curtail protections for social media, expressing skepticism that it would actually be enforced or survive judicial scrutiny.

May 29, 2020 12:01 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Trump order limits social media protections; Texas court curbs mail-in ballots

Trump order seeks to curtail legal protections for social media President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that seeks to reinterpret the Communications Decency Act, which protects websites from liability for publishing third-party content. Trump signed the order after Twitter labeled two of his tweets as “potentially misleading.” A…

May 28, 2020 4:38 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Judge orders shelter for homeless people; state must release execution drug info

Judge orders LA to find shelter for homeless near freeways On Friday, U.S. District Judge David Carter ordered the county and city of Los Angeles to find shelter for up to 7,000 homeless people living near freeways. Carter said shelters must allow for appropriate social distancing, along with adequate showers…

May 18, 2020 4:47 PM CDT

Lawsuit claims sheriff threatened to arrest teen if she didn’t delete COVID-19 social media posts

The parents of a 16-year-old Wisconsin girl have filed a lawsuit claiming that the Marquette County sheriff threatened to arrest the teen and her parents if she didn’t delete social media posts that read that she had COVID-19.

Apr 20, 2020 10:15 AM CDT